Botswana Prepares for General Elections Amid Calls for Peace and Transparency
As Botswana gears up for its general elections on October 30, observers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Commonwealth, and the African Union have begun arriving in the country to monitor the electoral process. The SADC officially launched its mission on Tuesday, with a call for peaceful elections.
Leading the SADC electoral observation mission is Tanzania’s former prime minister, Mizengo Pinda. According to Pinda, the mission is in line with the regional bloc’s aspiration to hold democratic elections within member states. “When you go to observe an election, first is to get a picture of how prepared the host country is. In this case, we are sure that things have been prepared very well,” Pinda said. “But the second thing, of course, the assurance must go beyond that general statement. We want to be sure that peace is prevailing, and that peace will prevail even during the elections.”
However, the SADC has faced criticism for failing to hold errant members to account, particularly in the recent Zimbabwe and Mozambique polls, which were deemed free and fair despite reported irregularities. SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi acknowledged that the bloc can only make recommendations, and its reports are not binding on member states. “Ordinarily, SADC urges its member states to abide by its principles or the guidelines. And ordinarily expects member states to implement those recommendations,” Magosi said.
Despite these concerns, Magosi emphasized that if electoral transgressions are considered serious, the matter will be referred to the highest decision-making structure, the SADC summit. Heads of state from member nations convene the summit annually.
The opposition in Botswana has alleged attempts to rig the poll, and only a handful of political party representatives attended the SADC observer mission launch. Phenyo Butale of the Alliance for Progressives, which is running under the opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change, said his party sent no one to the meeting, as they believe SADC election observers are compromised. “We did not find it worthwhile to come to witness this launch because, as you know, they were in Zimbabwe, and they gave a report that said elections ran short of standards set by SADC and the elections were not free and fair,” Butale said.
In response, Botswana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Lemogang Kwape assured that observers will be allowed to carry out their duty unhindered. “We open our doors, it’s a free country. Go to every corner of this country and observe. Interact with people and make your observations, which we believe will be independent. Botswana, as a country, stands ready to receive your comments,” Kwape said.
The Commonwealth and AU observers arrived in the country last week, in time to monitor the advance election for poll workers, soldiers, and police, which took place on Saturday. As the country prepares for the general elections, all eyes are on the electoral process, with calls for peace, transparency, and accountability.
